Church of Tau in Pistoia

Spectacular frescoes from the 14th century alternate with Marino Marini’s sculptures

Pistoia

Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, 28, 51100 Pistoia PT, Italia

The Church of Tau in Pistoia was constructed around 1340 by Fra’ Giovanni Guidalotti, who donated it to the canons of Sant’Antonio del Tau, allegedly because there is a blue painted Tau on their cloaks. Activity ceased in 1787 and the chapel underwent serious alterations, but restoration work in the sixties recovered most of the original structures and artistic décor.

The interior has a single rectangular nave with a raised presbytery and the crypt below is divided into three aisles with a cross vault decorated with frescoes like the walls below.

The outstandingly beautiful fresco cycle was created by late-Gothic artists from the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century, particularly by Niccolò di Tommaso and his collaborators. The frescoes depict stories from the Old and New testaments and from the life of St. Anthony the Great.

In recent years the church has been restored and now houses some of Marino Marini’s great bronze sculptures, displayed in such a way that it creates a dialogue with the 14th-century frescoes.

A captivating Roman city, Pistoia is a place that wows art lovers and tourists in search of centuries-old traditions. Poets and writers have always praised its charms, calling it the "city of enchanted stone" and the "city of wide streets and beautiful churches". ...